South Korean teenager Choi Jae-woo ranked fifth in men’s moguls at the Freestyle World Ski Championships for the country’s best-ever performance in the biennial event.

Choi, 19, earned 23.94 points in the final held in Voss-Myrkdalen, Norway. Mikael Kingsbury of Canada took the gold medal with 27.59 points.

Choi represents the best Olympic medal hope for South Korea, which has never reached an Olympic podium in snow events, such as skiing and snowboarding.

“I am so pleased to have done so well at the world championships,” Choi said.

“I made some mistakes in the final, but I see it as part of the process toward a bigger goal.”

Choi was selected to the national reserve team at 15.

He trained year-round in Canada from 2008 to 2011. Then in 2011, Choi joined the national ski team.

In February last year, Choi won the bronze in men’s moguls at the Junior World Ski Championships, becoming the first South Korean to win a medal at the event. (Yonhap News)